There is a constant need for the enhancement and/or improvement of the flavour of foodstuffs. Many relevant foodstuffs flavour compounds, like furfurylthiol are very unstable, i.e. will deteriorate rather quickly under the foodstuff preparing, storing and consuming conditions, resulting in an undesirable low and/or short flavour impression of the foodstuff to be consumed.
In this respect it is brought to the fore that sulphur flavour precursors are known in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,240 already issued in 1976, relates to thiol precursors having the general formula R1—S—CO—O—R2, wherein R1 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, homo or heterocyclic radical having up to 10 carbon atoms and not more than two hetero atoms selected from the group consisting of oxygen and sulphur, and wherein R2 represents a secondary or tertiary hydrocarbyl group containing 3-20 carbon atoms, attached to the oxygen with the secondary or tertiary carbon atom. However, no indication whatsoever is given in said U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,240 about the possible use of primary hydrocarbyl groups as examples for the meaning of R2. Apparently, the inventors of U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,240 even intentionally excluded such primary hydrocarbyl groups for R2.